David Gasologa, Alesana Anitelea and Aperaamo Tapelu and Darrick Amouta Peleti were all killed when a Kia Carnival ploughed into a tree and burst into flames in Piries, near Mansfield, 220km north-east of Melbourne.
Their family and friends have today paid tribute to them from across the globe.
Alesana Anitelea had only been in Australia for four months, while Samoan national David Gasologa had recently become engaged.
“We love you and we will always remember you in our hearts,” Anitelea’s sister-in-law told 9News in a statement.
“Rest in love dearest bro, Alesana.”
Gasologa’s sister said he was the centre of his family’s world.
“He breaks a circle of nine siblings,” she said.
“He was quite humble and he was everyone’s favourite.
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Police believe the men had been drinking at a friend’s house in Mac’s Cove and were returning home when the driver lost control and hit an embankment.
The car spun back onto the road and hit a tree in a field before bursting into flames, police said.
Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Glenn Weir today told 3AW police were investigating if alcohol was a factor in the crash.
“We believe they consumed alcohol and jumped back in the car, and they’ve driven back towards the house where they live and the collision’s occurred,” he said.
The crash, along with another double fatality in Bendigo’s north yesterday, brings the state’s road toll to a 15-year high, with 258 deaths on Victorian roads this year.
There were 240 lives lost on Victorian roads in the whole of 2022.
Assistant Commissioner Weir has called for an emergency meeting with the government to tackle the crippling road toll.
